A white and blue billboard, a stage and two chairs in the midst of Times Square to attach passersby with three moral hackers. That’s all NordVPN wanted to dispel New Yorkers’ misconceptions about on-line security, beginning with one easy query: Are you half bare on-line?
A handful of minutes had been sufficient for Marijus Briedis (CTO of NordVPN), Adrianus Warmenhoven (Cybersecurity Advisor at NordVPN) and Liron Segev (the favored YouTuber often called TheTechieGuy) to disclose to the members how they’re actually uncovered on-line.
The “Talk to a Hacker” trick is an element of a bigger marketing campaign for NordVPN. The firm is on a mission to assist Americans perceive that even one of the best antivirus options signify solely half of the web safety everybody wants to remain protected on the Internet.
It comes after some disappointing responses from Americans to NordVPN’s newest survey.
A staggering 73% of Americans nonetheless imagine their antivirus software program protects them from identification theft, ensures on-line privateness, and protects their information on public Wi-Fi networks. However, the job of an antivirus is extra to defend your gadget from malware and viruses.
“This widespread misunderstanding about online protection is exactly why we created this campaign,” stated Toma Sabaliauskiene, CMO of NordVPN.
“Americans stroll round with a harmful, false sense of safety. It’s like putting in a complicated alarm system in your entrance door and leaving all of the home windows open. Our expertise in Times Square demonstrated this vulnerability stay and up shut.”
Americans’ pursuits, addresses and even passwords uncovered
A flock of curious New Yorkers gathered across the NordVPN signal on Thursday, October 16. However, those that truly participated within the initiative left with a brand new certainty: they don’t seem to be as personal and protected on-line as they suppose.
The three hackers generated detailed studies on members that exposed how their most delicate information was uncovered on-line. These embrace their passwords, telephone numbers, dwelling addresses, Social Security numbers, and typically even the make and mannequin of the automotive they drive.
The quantity of element obtainable was so private that hackers had been even capable of determine individuals’s pursuits and most used usernames, in addition to title their favourite bands.
“We noticed real shock on individuals’s faces as they realized how uncovered they actually had been. Many had been visibly shocked to study that their present software program had been giving them a false sense of safety all alongside,” Sabaliauskiene stated.
That second of shock and realization was precisely what NordVPN was going for with this marketing campaign.
A digital personal community (VPN) shouldn’t be a magic wand both. However, it’s a essential device that can assist you decrease your digital footprint whereas making it tough to trace you on-line from one website to a different. It does this by encrypting all of your Internet connections and spoofing your actual IP handle.
A safe VPN is very necessary to guard your self when connecting to public Wi-Fi, one thing practically 40% of Americans stated they did, however greater than half of them did with out safety.
NordVPN even consists of its Threat Protection Pro device to guard customers from on-line scams, malware, and annoying advertisements. However, we suggest combining it with appropriate antivirus software program.
Online threats have gotten extra multifaceted, and so is your safety. And bear in mind: “While individuals rightly fear about Social Security numbers and bank card particulars, a contact information breach is usually the primary crucial domino to fall,” warns NordVPN.
If you missed your likelihood to have your digital persona scanned by NordVPN consultants, don’t fret. Everyone, inside and outdoors the US, can achieve this by heading to nordvpn.com/half to entry the corporate’s devoted marketing campaign web page.
There, you will have the chance to make use of NordVPN’s Dark Web Monitor device without spending a dime to verify in case your information is already uncovered on the darkish net, whereas studying how you can strengthen your on-line safety.
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